Includes bibliographical references and index.

Inter-communal relations : the Copts and the state (1805-1946). Religion and state-building in the Khedival period (1798-1882) ; The making of new national identities (1882-1919) ; Constitutional politics and political Islam (1922-1946) -- Intra-communal relations : the Coptic community from within (1882-1954). Benevolence and philanthropy (1882-1945) ; Factionalism and corruption (1882-1945) ; A Coptic revolution : Harakat Al-Tathir (1952-1954).

"The Copts of Egypt, who make up 10-15 percent of the population, have traditionally been viewed as a 'beleaguered and persecuted minority.' Using newly discovered Coptic archival sources, Vivian Ibrahim presents a fresh and vivid alternative reading of the community during the twentieth centry. Avoiding the established portrayal of a monolithic entity headed by the Coptic Pope, Ibrahim examines the multifaceted dimensions of the Coptic community, assessing Coptic-State relations on one hand and Coptic intra-communal dimensions on the other."--P. [2] of jacket.